Elevator



3 sham .sheet 1.

T. BELL.

ELEVATOR.

(N0 Model.)

Patented Mar. 3, 1885.

N. P ETERS. Plmm-Liuwgmnhur. waslvinmam D, c.

3 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

T. BELL. ELEVATOR.

Patented Mar. 3,1885.

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Sheet 3 Sheets T. BELL.

ELBVATR.

(No Model.)

Patented Mar. 3, 1885.

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Nrrnn rrnoMAs BELL, or oA'rsKILL, New Yoan.

ELEVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 313,162, dated March 3, 1885.

Application filed November 26, 1984. (No model.)

T all whom 7125 may concern,.-

Be it known that I, Ti-roMns BELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Catskill, county of Greene, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevators, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming apart of the same.

This invention relates, generally, to that class of elevators which are employed in handling coal, grain, and other similar substances, but more particularly to an apparatus of this class which is designed and adapted for usein transferring coal, grain, Snc., from the cars or boats in which it is transported in bulk to a bin or warehouse.

As a full knowledge of the invention and its mode of operation can be imparted only by a detailed description of the apparatus in which it is embodied, all further preliminary description will be omitted, and a detailed description of said apparatus will now be given, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, invwhich- Figure l is a side elevation of an elevator embodying the invention, the adj usting appa'- 1 ratus being omitted. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, showing also the adjusting apparatus. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the adjusting apparatus. Fig. 4 is a crosssection, upon a like scale, taken upon the line m x of Figs. l and 2. Fig. 5 is a plan view, upon a still larger scale, showing several of the buckets and portions of the endless chains by which they are carried. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same, showing also a portion of one of the sprocket-wheels which support the chains; and Fig. 7 is a cross-section of one of the buckets, taken upon the line x :c of Fig. 5.

Referring to said drawings, it is to be understood that A represents abarge or canalvboat which is to unloaded, and B a bin or warehouse into which the contents ofthe boat are to be transferred. The elevator by which this transfer of the contents of the boat is effected consists, essentially, of a series of buckets, 29, which are of substantially the usual form and construction, and are secured to a pair of endless carrying chains, 50, which travel upon and around a number of sprocketwheels, 40, the shafts 39 of which are supported in bearings 38, secured to the side rails, 90, of an inclined frame which extends from the point of supply to the point of discharge. This frame is provided with anumber of crossshafts, 35, which are mounted in suitable bearings, 36, secured to the siderails, 90, and provided at their ends with small wheels or rolls 37, which rest upon inclined rails 95, which form tracks or ways for the rolls and are supported by a suitable frame-work, (represented in the drawings by the upright posts 96.) By reason of this construction the frame which supports the carrying-chains and the buckets can benioved up and down along the tracks 95, as indicated by the dotted lines at the left of Fig. l, so as to vary the height of the lower or receiving end of the elevator. This is a feature of considerable import-ance, as it affords means by which the position of the lower or receiving end of the elevator can be raised and lowered, so as to accommodate itself to the position ofthe boat A as the latter is raised and lowered by the ebb and flow of the tide or by other cause, and also to bring it into such position that the buckets will be filled as the contents of the boat or other receptacle is gradually lowered.

The required adjustment of the frame carrying the chains and Ybuckets is effected by means of the following apparatus: The side rails, 90, are provided upon their under sides with racks 25, which are engaged by gears 26, mounted upon a shaft, 27, which is supported .in bearings 28, secured to the under sides of The the ways 95, as best shown in Fig. 4. shaft 27 is provided at one end with a gear, 20, which is engaged by a small gear, 21, mounted upon a shaft, 22, which is supported at one end in a pivotal bearing, l5, mounted upon the rail 95, and at the other in a movable bearing, 17, mounted in a suitable framework, 23. The shaft 22 is also provided with a large friction-wheel, 24, which engages with a like wheel, 1i, of smaller size, which is mounted upon a shaft, 13, which is journaled in suitable bearings, and is provided with asprocket-wheel, 34, which is connected by a drive-chain, 42, with a similar wheel,

43, mounted upon the main driving-shaft 44,

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from which motion is communicated toA the l chains by means of bolts or rivets which pass chains carrying the buckets; y The frame 23 is provided, just beneath the wheel 24, with a curved shoe, 45, which is so positioned that when the wheel 24 is in its normal position it will rest on the shoe and be prevented from turning by reason of the frictional contact therewith. The end of the shaft 22,'upon which the wheel 24 is mounted, extends slightly beyond the frame 23, and is arranged to be acted upon by a lever, 46, which is fulcrumed at one end to the frame 23, and is connected at its other-end to a rope or chain, 47, which passes over a pulley,48, and extends either to the receiving end of theelevator or to any other convenient point from-which it may be desired to operate the adjusting apparatus.

v The operation of the adjusting apparatus just described will be hereinafter fully explained. f

In addition to the capability of being adjusted bodily or as a whole, as hereinafter stated, it is very desirable in an apparatus of this class that the lower or receiving end should be capable of an independent adjustment, so that it may always be brought into the position most convenient for filling the buckets. To effect this the side pieces, 90, of the frame which carries the carrying-chains and buckets aremade in two parts, their lower ends, which extend beyond the ways 95, being connected to the upper ends by hinges 16, as,

best shown in Fig. 1, so as to be capable of being swung up and down and in and out, to'

bring the lower or receiving end ofthe apparatus to different positions, as indicated by the dotted lines at the left of vsaid figure, the chains 50 being of course made of sufficient length to permit such movement. This is also a feature of great importance, particularly when' the elevator isused for unloading boats, as it not only permits the` receiving end of the apparatus to be swung in and out, so as to reach all parts crosswise of the boat or car, but also permits the apparatus to accommodate itself to any slight rising and falling or rocking motion which may be given to the boat by the wind or waves.

yThe lower ends of the side pieces,90,arc provided with guard bands or plates 41, which extend downward and inward beyond the line of the buckets, so as to protect the latter by keeping them from coming into contact with thebottom of the boat or other obstruction, which would be liable to break or damage them.

The endless chains 50, which carry the buckt ets, are of substantially the common construction, consisting, as best shown in Fig. 5, of alternate single and double links. The teeth up through the inner bars ofthe doublelinks, all as clearly show-n in Figs. 5, 6, and 7.

In elevators of this class as'heretofore constructed it has been customary to drive the cha-ins which carry the buckets by applying the power to the shaft of the sprocket-wheels around which the chains passed at the upper end of the apparatus. When, however, as in the present case, the elevator is made adjustable as a whole, this manner of driving the chains becomes impracticable. ent case, therefore, the driving-shaft 44 is located at some distance from the ends of the side rails, 90, and is mounted in bearings 49, which are supported upon the track-rails 95, so as to permit the rails 9() to be moved up and down to different positions without interfering with the drivingapparatus. The shaft 44 is provided with a pair of sprocket-wheels, 51, which are similar to the wheels 40,7and engage .with the chains 50 in the usual manner, and also with a sprocket-wheel, 33, around which passes a drive-chain, 52, which receives motion from any convenient source of power.

In order to hold the chains 50 in engagement with the wheels 51, there are provided apair ofsprocket-wheels, 30, which are mounted uponv a shaft, 31, supported in brackets 32, secured to the track-rails 95, and located in such-position as to hold the chains 50 tightly against the driving-wheels 51.

In order to conveniently adjust the lower swinging end of the elevator, and in order also to preventit from being drawn inward by the pressure of the buckets against the contents of the boat or car as they are being filled, the lower end of the hinged portion will be connected to a rope or chain, as 53, which will pass over a pulley in the horizontal arm of a crane or similar contrivance and be controlled by a windlass, as 54, by which the receiving end of the elevator can be swung to any desired position. 'lhe windlass 54 will be provided with a holding pawl and ratchet, as 12,

In the pres- IOO IlO

which will act to retain the end of the eleva` g I to be unloaded is being brought into position,

the lower hinged end of the elevator will be swung up out of the way,after which it will be lowered, as shown in Fig. 1, so that its receiving end will enter the hold of the boat or car. The driving-wheels 51 will then be set in inotion, so as to start the chains carrying the buckets. As the contents of the boat or car are lowered in the process of unloading, or if the tide falls, so as to make it necessary to lower the receiving end of the elevator, the rope 47 will be drawn upon, so as to ease the pressure of the wheel 24 upon, the shoe 45, and thus permit the elevator by its own weight to slide downward along the track-rails 95. As soon as the elevator has been sufficiently lowered the wheel 24 will be allowed to fall back onto the shoe 45, where its weight will afford sufficient friction to hold the elevator in place. If, from the rising of the tide or for other reason, it becomes desirable to raise the receiving end of the elevator, the rope 47 will be drawn upon, so as to raise the wheel 24 into engagement with the wheel 14, and thus start the shaft 27, and through the gears 26 and racks 25 move the elevator upward along the track-rails 95 until it has been sufficiently raised, when the wheel 24 will be allowed to fall back onto the shoe 45.

In order to reduce the power required to move the elevator upward along the ways 95, and also to lessen the strain upon the adjusting and holding apparatus, one or more counterbalancing-weights, as 97,Will preferably be provided, which weight or weights will be so arranged and adjusted as to nearly overcome the weight of the elevator. As the contents are removed from one side or part of the boat or car, the windlass 54 will be operated so as to swing the receiving end of the elevator in orout, to bring it to a different position crosswise of the boat or car, and this will be continued until the contents of the boat or car are entirely removed.

In conclusion, it is to be remarked that the construction of the apparatus may be modified in many of its details without departing from the essential features of the invention.

The side rails, 90, of the frame which supports and carries the chains and buckets, instead of being arranged between the ways 95, may be arranged directly above the ways, in which case the shafts 35 may be omitted, the rolls 37 being mounted in bearings secured either to the under sides ofthe rails 90 or the upper sides of the ways 95. The mechanism for moving or adjusting the frame carrying the chains and buckets may also be different from that shown without departing from the invention, it being immaterial what particular form of mechanism is employed for this purpose so long as some convenient and suitable form of mechanism is provided by which the movement of these parts can be effected.

The power, instead of being applied to the shaft 44 by means of a drive chain and sprocket-wheel, may be applied by means of a belt and pulley, or by any other suitable means, and a belt a`nd pulleys may be substituted for the chain and wheels 42 43 34. So, also, the apparatus for raising and lowering and holding the lower swinging end of the elevator may be of a different form from that shown without departing from the invention.

In some cases,where theelevator is of small size or the load light, belts may be employed in place of thel chains 50 for carrying the buckets, and therefore belts are to be regarded as the equivalent of the chains for this purpose.

1. rIlhe combination, with the stationary inclined track-rails 95, of the movable inclined frame supported thereon, and extending from the point of supply to the point of discharge of the elevator, the endless :chains 50, carry-- ing mechanism for moving the framecarrying the chains and buckets along the trackrails, so as to raise and lower the receiving and discharging ends of the elevator, and the counterbalancing.weight or weights 97, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the stationary inclined track-rails 95, of the movable inclined frame supported thereon, and extending from the point of supply to the point of discharge of the elevator, the endless chains 50, carrying the buckets, and passing around wheels mounted upon the movable frame, and adjusting mechanism for moving the frame carrying the chains and buckets along the trackrails, so as to raise and lower the receiving and discharging ends of the elevator, and the stationary driving-wheels 51, substantially as described.

4. Ihe combination, with the stationary inclined track-rails 95, of the movable inclined frame supported thereon, and extending from the point of supply to the point of discharge of the elevator, said movable frame extending at its lower end beyond the endsof the track-rails, and being jointed, so that t-he receiving end of the elevator can be swung to different positions, the endless chains 50, carrying the buckets, and passing around wheels mounted upon the movable frame, and adjusting mechanism for moving the jointed frame carrying the chains and buckets along the rails, so as to raise and lower the receiving and discharging ends of the elevator, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the movable inclined frame carrying the chains and buckets, said frame being jointed, so as to permit the receiving end of the elevator to be swung to different positions, ofthe guard plates or bands 41, substantially as described.

.In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS. BELL. Witnesses W. IRVING J ENNINGs, HENRY D. SHoRns.

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